Rescue in Youngsville as hundreds flee flooded homes

Youngsville residents Theresa and Tony Yowell talk about having a short amount of time to save the things that were important to them as floodwaters invaded their home Aug. 12.
Seth Dickerson, The Advertiser

Buy Photo

Theresa and Tony Yowell evacuate their home in the Highland Ridge neighborhood of Youngsville. August 2016.(Photo: Advertiser file photo)Buy Photo

The Louisiana National Guard went house to house in the 305-home Highland Ridge neighborhood off the Youngsville Highway, rescuing those who were stranded in the waist-high water.

"Some folks are refusing to leave," said Sgt. Todd Latiolais. "We are urging them to leave if they have water in their homes."

Noel Comeaux and Camryn Broussard hold "Hershey" their puppy as they are evacuated from their flooded home by the Louisiana National Guard(Photo: Kris Wartelle)

Moments later, Latiolais rescued 7-year-old Camryn Broussard and her mother, Dana. Latiolais carried the little girl in his arms as she clung tightly to her puppy Twix. Mayor Ken Ritter and Youngsville councilwoman Diane McClelland helped Broussard and the rest of her family climb aboard the National Guard cargo truck that was bringing residents to Green T. Linden Elementary School.

CLOSE

National Guard Sgt. Todd Latiolais carries 7-year-old Camryn Broussard to safety as floodwaters invade her home in Highland Ridge in Youngsville.
Seth Dickerson, The Advertiser

Dana Broussard, along with Noel Comeaux carried a few possessions in plastic bags as they boarded the cargo truck with two dogs and a guinea pig. Broussard said her home had more than three feet of water in it and that she had lost everything, including two vehicles.

"It happened so fast," she said. "We had to climb out of the window to get out. We couldn't open the door or anything. The water ended up past my window. If we hadn't left, we could not have gotten out. And I don't have any flood insurance. What do I do? Who do I call?"

Ritter said the Broussards and other residents were being brought to Linden, which had been set up as a temporary shelter.

"Probably about 80 to 90 percent of the homes in Highland Ridge, phases I and II have been affected by the flooding," Ritter said. "We were hoping it would be less than that."

Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux was encouraging emergency responders to bring residents to the Heymann Convention Center where the Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter.

Anyone at Lindon Elementary and Youngsville Middle School who needs more permanent shelter should go to the Heymann center on South College Road in Lafayette, he said.

Be prepared to show a driver’s license or other photo ID. Pets are not allowed.

Robideaux also said residents whose homes flooded and have flood insurance should contact their insurance agent. Flood insurance policies have coverage for emergency housing where they will reimburse you for a hotel stay.

Lafayette Parish saw anywhere from 4 to 10 inches of rain Friday, according to The National Weather Service. The forecast called for the parish to be hit with an additional 5 to 10 inches of rainfall between midnight and into the afternoon Saturday, according to a release from Lafayette Consolidated Government.

The storms are part of a larger, westward-moving low-pressure system that may continue to bedevil Acadiana through Saturday before tapering off on Sunday and early next week.

All Lafayette Parish schools were closed Friday morning, and many neighboring parishes had cancelled classes by midday. Almost all public roads in Youngsville were closed to traffic.

Found in the Elan subdivision off of East Broussard Road: The common mudpuppy is a species of salamander in the genus Necturus. They live an entirely aquatic lifestyle in the eastern part of North America in lakes, rivers, and ponds.
Judi Terzotis/The Advertiser

Ritter said homes in Highland Ridge have on average 6 to 12 inches of water in them. Water in the street is waist deep.

Other parts of the city are experiencing high water, too, he said.

“We received about 11 inches of rain in three hours,” Ritter said, “And then the rain just continued.”

Tammy and Britlyn Theriot and their 72-year-old mother, Louise, were among those who waited outside the shelter. The family evacuated with their five cats and two dogs. Tammy Theriot said she had to leave when the water reached over a foot in her home.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of here so I can go get a rental car because mine is underwater," Theriot said. "I'm sure there is probably 2 or 3 feet of water in our house right now."

Lafayette Parish School Board member Jeremy Hidalgo helped residents as they sought shelter in the elementary school. He said Youngsville Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux called and asked to use the schools as temporary shelters, and that the evacuations locally have been going well so far.

"It's all been winged," Hidalgo said. "But, it's been really smooth for as much as the people here are going through."

Hidalgo said Friday afternoon roughly 150 residents had been taken to shelters. Flooding water overwhelmed several residences in the Comeaux High School area, as well.

CLOSE

Lafayette Parish School Board Member Jeremy Hidalgo speaks with us about the temporary shelter and how the flooding has affected the Youngsville area.
Seth Dickerson, The Advertiser

Throughout Youngsville, neighbors waded through the streets either trying to get out or get back in homes that were completely filled with water. Hundreds of buckled garage doors and submerged cars lined the streets in an area that many residents said was considered a non-flood zone.

"When we bought this house, they said it hasn't flooded here in 500 years," said Theresa Yowell, who also had to be rescued from her flooded home by the National Guard. "We had like 8 inches in our house. We were hoping to wait it out but there was just so much. I was just hoping it was just a bad dream."

A flooded street in the Highland Ridge neighborhood in Youngsville.(Photo: Kris Wartelle)

Yowell and her husband, Tony, both recently lost their jobs. They said they, too, had no flood insurance.

"It's like you're helpless," Tony Yowell said. "You have to just resolve yourself to the fact that there is nothing you can do."

CLOSE

A slow-moving storm left much of Sawgrass Subdivision near Milton under water Friday. Watch as people splash, paddle and drink through the flood waters. Video by Megan Wyatt/The Advertiser.